When Canadians are polled, almost 80 per cent of you say you trust charities. Here are some trustworthy reasons why Canadians like you support World Vision when a disaster like the Haitian earthquake strikes.
1. Stewardship is one of World Vision's six core values.
As a Christian organization, we take stewardship very seriously. All staff members are responsible to ensure that donors' money is used well.
2. Canadians have given World Vision their trust since 1950 and support grows annually.
In 2009, some 594,395 donors supported the work of World Vision Canada, including 491,668 child sponsors.
3. World Vision is a first-responder to global emergencies.
We have invested in being prepared to mobilize as soon as disaster strikes in any region of the world, with fully-stocked warehouses of relief supplies and a global network of skilled emergency staff. Last year, our donors supported 20 major emergency responses around the world caused by natural disasters, and civil conflicts, helping us to deliver 68.4 million dollars in emergency and disaster relief. When the Haiti earthquake struck on Jan 12, 2010, World Vision was responding within hours.
4. World Vision is more than a disaster relief organization.
We are working in more than 100 countries in development programs to improve the lives of children. When disaster strikes, we are among the first to respond, and because of our long-term commitment to the well-being of children, we often remain longer than most NGOs to ensure communities are back on their feet.
5. World Vision is committed to making the most of every gift, to help as many people as possible.
In fiscal year 2009, World Vision used 81.2 per cent of its overall revenue for programs to combat poverty and assist children in need. Only 12.7 per cent of World Vision's revenue was used for fundraising and 6.1 per cent on administration of the organization. This is well below the 20 per cent deemed acceptable within the charitable sector.
The cost of fundraising and administration for major emergency responses like Haiti is significantly less. In the case of Haiti, World Vision anticipates that overhead costs will be less than ten per cent with approximately 3/4 of those costs going to fundraising and 1/4 to administration.
6. World Vision is a registered charitable organization.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) registers qualifying organizations as charities and handles audit and compliance activities. As a registered charity, World Vision must file an annual information return with the CRA, a portion of which is available to the public, and must meet certain requirements of the Income Tax Act concerning expenditures and activities.
7. We review and audit our financial and programming systems at every step.
World Vision offices in the countries where we serve are regularly audited, both internally and externally. KPMG, an independent Canadian accounting and audit firm, audits World Vision Canada's finances annually. The audited statement is available to the public in our annual report and on our web site.
8. World Vision has tight financial controls and procedures in place.
We carefully review all expenses each month and have thorough procedures for entering into business contracts. As much as is practical, we segregate the process of obtaining competitive quotes, signing of contracts, approvals, and payments.
9. World Vision is accountable to an active, independent board of volunteer directors.
Our board of directors brings considerable expertise in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Moreover, as donors themselves, they have a personal stake in the effectiveness of World Vision's work. As an integral part of their oversight function, they review progress reports and scrutinize monthly financial statements.
10. World Vision is accountable to external organizations.
Partner organizations, such as the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the World Food Programme, require recipients of their grant funding to follow strict reporting procedures. In financial year 2009, we received more than $13 million in grants from CIDA alone.
